F1 LIVE: Sergio Perez claims pole after Max Verstappen has nightmare qualifying in Saudi Arabia
Max Verstappen will be eyeing another dominant weekend as the F1 paddock rolls into Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The Red Bull driver led home a comfortable one-two for the world champions at the first race of the season in Bahrain, with Sergio Perez in second.
Fernando Alonso came home third for Aston Martin, who were the surprise package, while the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished fifth and seventh respectively.
Charles Leclerc – who was involved in a thrilling battle with Verstappen in Saudi last year – had to retire in Bahrain, with Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz coming home fourth. This year’s race is the third grand prix held at the lightning quick street circuit in Jeddah. Verstappen was quickest in both practice sessions yesterday, as well as FP3 on Saturday – a day when Hamilton parted ways with his long-term performance coach.
Follow qualifying at the Saudi Arabian GP with The Independent – the session started at 5pm.
F1 QUALIFYING LIVE – SAUDI ARABIAN GP
F1 qualifying LIVE: Fernando Alonso…
18:17 , Kieran Jackson
“Has been a very good weekend for us. Qualifying was a weak point in Bahrain but today the car performed very well on one lap. We’ll start on the first row, it’s just amazing.
“We are confident. The long run yesterday was affected by traffic, it should be better on Sundays then Saturdays – starting on the front row feels very, very good!”
F1 qualifying LIVE: Charles Leclerc…
18:13 , Kieran Jackson
“Happy? Yes and no. One hand it’s been a difficult weekend for pace but I’m very happy with my lap, very on the limit. But on the other hand, Red Bull are on another planet. Not easy with a penalty tomorrow.
“The race-pace looks quite good but it’s difficult to compare. We will see, it’s not going to be easy because I feel like everyone is close.”
F1 qualifying LIVE: Sergio Perez…
18:09 , Kieran Jackson
“You feel Formula 1 cars coming alive in this place. Maximised the lap, the track was improving.
“It’s a shame [for Max]. He’s been really strong all weekend, hopefully tomorrow we can have both our cars at the front.”
F1 qualifying LIVE: SERGIO PEREZ IS ON POLE POSITION FOR THE SAUDI ARABIAN GP!
18:03 , Kieran Jackson
Sergio Perez takes pole in Saudi once again!
Charles Leclerc in second, but Fernando Alonso went third and that means the Aston Martin will start on the front-row, due to Leclerc’s penalty!
George Russell qualifies fourth; Lewis Hamilton 7th
F1 qualifying LIVE: 2:00 left in Q3…
17:58 , Kieran Jackson
Majority of the cars now out on track to set their final runs.
Here’s the current top-10: Perez, Leclerc, Russell, Alonso, Stroll, Hamilton, Ocon, Sainz, Gasly, Piastri
Perez’s time to beat: 1:28:265.
F1 qualifying LIVE: 6:00 left in Q3…
17:56 , Kieran Jackson
Sergio Perez is on P1 – by half-a-second to Charles Leclerc in second!
George Russell is an impressive third for Mercedes (meaning he would start on the front-row with Leclerc’s 10-place penalty) with Fernando Alonso in fourth! Six-tenths between Mercedes/Aston Martin to Perez…
5-10: Hamilton, Ocon, Sainz, Gasly, Stroll, Piastri
Spicy bunch of first runs – can anyone challenge the one remaining Red Bull car?
F1 qualifying LIVE: Q3 underway!
17:52 , Kieran Jackson
Here we go then – who will be on pole position for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix?
It looks to be between Alonso and Perez, with maybe Leclerc to get involved too (though he has a 10-place grid penalty…)
F1 qualifying LIVE: Max Verstappen speaking to Sky…
17:51 , Kieran Jackson
“It’s the first time I heard about it. It’s very annoying for it to happen, we had a really good weekend, the car was working really well – now it will be a bit more tricky to get to the front, but it’s all about scoring points.
“Anything is possible at this track but it’s going to be tough. We have good pace.”
F1 qualifying LIVE: Reaction to Verstappen OUT in Q2!
17:48 , Kieran Jackson
Damon Hill, speaking to Sky F1: “That’s put the cat amongst the pigeons. They’ve got some design weakness there. We were concerned about Max walking away with it, he now has to go from 15th – but will this affect him in the race?”
Nico Rosberg, speaking to Sky F1: “Unbelievable. Just when you least expect it – he was on for a certain pole position! We have a new favourite – and it’s none other than Fernando Alonso! Alonso was up on Perez and Leclerc – I put him as favourite!”
F1 qualifying LIVE: Q2 DONE!
17:43 , Kieran Jackson
Carlos Sainz makes it – he goes fourth-fastest!
Pierre Gasly just makes it too for Alpine – but it’s done for Haas and Alfa Romeo.
OUT (11-15): Hulkenberg, Zhou, Magnussen, Bottas, Verstappen
What a big shock in Q2!
F1 qualifying LIVE: 2:00 left in Q2…
17:40 , Kieran Jackson
Carlos Sainz also in danger here – he’s currently in P11, short of Oscar Piastri in P10.
Current bottom-five (11-15): Sainz, Zhou, Bottas, Hulkenberg, Verstappen
7-10: Ocon, Magnussen, Gasly, Piastri
Who will make Q3?!
F1 qualifying LIVE: 5:00 left in Q2…
17:37 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen is out of the car – he’s OUT of qualifying! Wow, who saw that coming?!
Meanwhile, top-3 right now: Alonso, Perez, Leclerc
Lewis Hamilton in eighth, with George Russell in sixth.
Current bottom-five (11-15): Sainz, Bottas, Zhou, Hulkenberg, Verstappen
That’s livened things up!
F1 qualifying LIVE: 9:00 left in Q2…
17:35 , Kieran Jackson
Verstappen: “It’s almost not accelerating.”
His engineer tells him: “Try and limp home if possible…”
Oh wow, it looks like Max Verstappen could be out in Q2! He is P15 right now… and it’s frantic in the Red Bull garage as they look to get it fixed!
Current bottom-five: Sainz, Bottas, Zhou, Hulkenberg, Verstappen
F1 qualifying LIVE: 9:00 left in Q2…
17:32 , Kieran Jackson
Max Verstappen gets out of shape on his hot lap – so has to abort! And now it looks like he has an engine issue!
Oh wow, how will this turn out?! He can’t get out of third gear!
He’s currently running P14…
F1 qualifying LIVE: We’re underway with Q2…
17:27 , Kieran Jackson
15 minutes now to decide who is through to the top-10 shootout!
Tell you what, this won’t be a cruise for Mercedes if Q1 is anything to go by!
Look out for the Alpines here too, who’ve been relatively quick out of all the midfield teams this weekend…
F1 qualifying LIVE: Q1 DONE!
17:22 , Kieran Jackson
Lando Norris out of qualifying – but McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri makes it through to Q2!
Logan Sargeant has stopped out on track… and he’s also out, down in 20th!
16-20 and out of qualifying: Tsunoda, Albon, De Vries, Norris, Sargeant
Valtteri Bottas a lucky man in 15th!
Top-3: Verstappen, Perez, Alonso. Some things never change.
Mercedes down in 8th and 10th…
F1 qualifying LIVE: 2:00 left in Q1…
17:18 , Kieran Jackson
Logan Sargeant was so lucky to keep his spin out the wall – the American yet to set a competitive time.
Meanwhile, the damage to Lando Norris’ car means he’s OUT of qualifying – he won’t get out for another lap and he’s in the bottom-five!
Current bottom-five: Norris, Tsunoda, De Vries, Gasly, Sargeant
13-15 and not safe yet: Albon, Bottas, Ocon
F1 qualifying LIVE: 4:00 left in Q1…
17:15 , Kieran Jackson
Bizarrely, there’s more driver errors in this session then there has been in any of the practice sessions – they’re all pushing out there!
Fernando Alonso finally gets a solid time in, and goes fourth-fastest – six-tenths off Verstappen.
Currently the bottom-five (16-20): Norris, Tsunoda, De Vries, Gasly, Sargeant
And Logan Sargeant is facing the wrong way at turn 24 – yellow flag! He’s able to keep driving though… no red flag!
F1 qualifying LIVE: 8:00 left in Q1…
17:11 , Kieran Jackson
Lando Norris hits (gently) the wall at turn 27, the final corner!
No incident but the McLaren man will have to box, he does have a bit of damage.
Not ideal… and even Fernando Alonso (who is yet to set a lap time) has a spin on this tricky speed track!
F1 qualifying LIVE: 10:00 left in Q1…
17:09 , Kieran Jackson
Top of the table? Max Verstappen, obviously. Sergio Perez in second – exactly half-a-second further back.
Nico Hulkenberg a surprise name in third while George Russell is fourth; Leclerc 5th; Hamilton 6th – they may have to go again just to be safe.
Slowest out of those who’ve set a time? Carlos Sainz! Not a cruise round here for Ferrari…
Meanwhile, Nyck de Vries – who didn’t run in FP3 due to an engine issue – does an aggressive spin at turn 1 but the run-off area saves him!
AlphaTauri will do well to get out of Q1 here…
F1 qualifying LIVE: We’re underway with Q1 in Jeddah!
17:00 , Kieran Jackson
18 minutes for Q1 first up, where we will lost the slowest five drivers on the timesheet.
Should be entertaining on this magnificently rapid street circuit under the lights in Jeddah!
F1 LIVE: We’re five minutes from qualifying in Jeddah!
16:55 , Kieran Jackson
Stay right here for live updates from qualifying in Saudi!
Can anyone stop Max Verstappen? He had a gap of six-tenths to Sergio Perez in second during FP3 – and as large as nine-tenths to Fernando Alonso in third!
How about Mercedes – how far up the leaderboard can Lewis Hamilton and George Russell strive for?
Qualifying coming up!
F1 LIVE: Traffic paradise!
16:50 , Kieran Jackson
Expect plenty of traffic issues in qualifying, particularly in Q1!
F1 LIVE: Formula 1 accused of ‘enabling violence and bloodshed’ by racing in Saudi Arabia
16:48 , Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 is once again coming under increased scrutiny for staging races in countries with poor human rights records after the brother of a man executed in Saudi Arabia last year insisted the sport’s silence “enables violence and bloodshed.”
A fortnight after staging the opening race of the 2023 season in Bahrain, F1 returns to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – a country where there have been 13 executions in the last two weeks.
Last year, 81 men were executed in one day shortly before the grand prix, with 41 from the Shia minority who had taken part in protests calling for greater political participation, according to the United Nations.
One of those men was Mustafa al-Kjayyat and his brother, Yasser al-Khayyat, insists that F1 is being used as a “tool to sportswash Saudi abuses”, in a letter seen by The Guardian addressed to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
“They use the spectacle of this sporting championship to distract from the murder of my brother and hundreds of others,” he wrote. “The grand prix carrying on as normal, without even mentioning the atrocities that have just been committed on that same soil, legitimises these heinous crimes.
“Silence is complicity. It is how the regime gets away with its atrocities and suppresses calls for democratic reforms. If you truly want Formula One to be an agent for change, rather than a tool to ‘sportswash’ Saudi abuses, please end Formula One’s silence.”
Formula 1 accused of ‘enabling violence and bloodshed’ by racing in Saudi Arabia
F1 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton announces shock split with performance coach
16:44 , Kieran Jackson
ICYMI yesterday, some shock news from the seven-time world champion…
Lewis Hamilton has announced that his time working with performance coach Angela Cullen has come to an end.
The seven-time world champion has worked with physiotherapist Cullen for the last seven years, with the New Zealander by the Mercedes star’s side around the world as an integral part of his support team.
Cullen, 48, joined Hamilton’s team in 2016 and has been by his side for four of his seven world championships.
Yet suspicions were raised on Friday morning as Hamilton did not arrive in the paddock in Saudi Arabia with Cullen by his side, before the 38-year-old himself confirmed the news on Instagram.
In an emotional post, he said: “For the last seven years Angela Cullen has been by my side, pushing me to be the best version of myself. I am a stronger athlete and a better person because of her.
“So today I hope you’ll join me in wishing her the very best as she takes her next steps to pursue her dreams. Thank you for everything Ang, I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for you.”
Lewis Hamilton announces shock change to team in emotional farewell
F1 LIVE: Ted Talk! F1 cult hero Kravitz on pit lane secrets and… cheese
16:29 , Kieran Jackson
Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson
Ted is talking about cheese. For a Formula 1 pit lane reporter functioning in a world of tyre compounds and floor specifications, Ted often finds himself talking about cheese. Usually at pre-season testing. A bizarre synonymity, some might say, and readers not drooling in the daily churn of digital F1 content may be a little lost already. Don’t worry, you’re forgiven.
Sky Sports’ ever-present pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz – of BBC and ITV before that – has a style of presenting so inimitable that the man himself has formed a devoted following of his own, hate it as he might. Ahead of his 22nd year of pit lane reporting and 27th working in the sport he loves, Ted’s methodology of fan interaction is constantly evolving. This year, forget TikTok: it’s all about TedTok. So, back to the cheese.
“TedTok was just too good for somebody to steal,” the 48-year-old tells The Independent, in the unusually formal setting for him of an office at Sky Studios. “So I’m just going to put nonsense about doing stuff with cheese on there.
“I put up a video of me and Anthony [Davidson] choosing the perfect cheese in Bahrain to carve away the venturi tunnels of the car to the floor edge… it’s harder than you think.
“You could have got a block of cheddar, but then it would’ve just crumbled away and the whole shoot would’ve been a disaster. This was 20 minutes and Anthony was quite right in choosing the right type of cheese… gouda!”
Ted Talk! F1 cult hero Kravitz on pit lane secrets and… cheese
F1 LIVE: Charles Leclerc faces further title blow with Saudi Arabian Grand Prix grid penalty
16:14 , Kieran Jackson
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc faces a 10-place grid penalty ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
It comes after Leclerc was forced to retire from the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix due to an engine issue, in what was an early blow to his hopes of challenging Max Verstappen for the F1 title.
Frederic Vasseur, the new Ferrari team principal, said following the race that he was surprised by the retirement but a further investigation has identified the problem.
Ferrari said they have been forced to fit another control electronics power unit on Leclerc’s car ahead of the second race of the season, having already replaced parts in Bahrain.
Teams are only allowed to use two control electronics components per season until a penalty is triggered, which has given Leclerc an uphill battle as he looks to cut Verstappen’s early lead in the standings.
Charles Leclerc faces further title blow with Saudi Arabian Grand Prix grid penalty
F1 Fantasy: How to play in 2023 season and top tips for Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
15:59 , Kieran Jackson
The new Formula 1 season is here – and that means F1 Fantasy is back!
The game will see millions of motor sport fans pick their fantasy selection of drivers for an imaginary $100m budget.
F1 Fantasy began five years ago and it has grown rapidly in popularity, in line with F1’s rise in popularity. The 2023 season will reward those players who are able to spot the early trends as the new season takes shape.
See below for all the rules and top tips:
F1 Fantasy: How to play and top tips ahead of 2023 season
EXC INTERVIEW: Jackie Stewart on a life with dyslexia and his unrelenting push for safety in Formula 1
15:51 , Kieran Jackson
Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson
There’s a scene five minutes into Jackie Stewart’s enthralling new biopic which presents, in very stark reality, the most traumatic of experiences for any student of a tender age in school. Asked to stand up in front of the class and read a passage from Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, Stewart simply couldn’t. Illustrated with an animated book dissolving into a random hotchpotch of upside-down letters, this moment encapsulates the Scot’s biggest fear as he rose to worldwide stardom. Not a crash on track. Not even the burden of fame. Simply his inability to read and write.
Near enough 70 years on, he still battles those same illiterate demons. “I still can’t read and write correctly,” he says. Forty-three times he stood on the podium in Formula 1 – on 27 occasions at the top of the tree. Yet every time, zoom in closer, and you see a man improvising.
“I still don’t know the national anthem,” he reveals. “Or the lord’s prayer. I’m an extreme dyslexic as are a whole load of other people. I left school at 15 with no education but I was good with my hands and a good mechanic. Without that, I wouldn’t have started driving with Barry Filer but it was there that the magic ride started. But it was actually just such an escape because for the first time in my life I was really good at something. At school, I was such a failure.”
Stewart, now 83, wrestling with his dyslexia is among a number of riveting topics encountered in Stewart, airing on Sky Documentaries from Friday. A 93-minute screening tells the story of one of Formula One’s most popular drivers, honing in on a career and life which was about a whole lot more than the Grand Prix victories and three World Championships. Fascinatingly, despite being produced by his son Mark, the man himself had no influence on the production, as unseen clips from the archives emerge in what he – with conviction which should not be mistaken for arrogance – describes as “the best motor racing film ever.”
Jackie Stewart on a life with dyslexia and his unrelenting push for safety in F1
F1 LIVE: F1 partners with Race Against Dementia campaign
15:41 , Kieran Jackson
This is a really nice move from Formula 1…
F1 LIVE: Red Bull’s Christian Horner backed to be F1 CEO over current boss Stefano Domenicali
15:32 , Kieran Jackson
Christian Horner has been backed to become the next CEO of Formula 1 – by the sport’s former supremo Bernie Ecclestone.
Horner, the boss at Red Bull, is the sport’s longest serving team principal having been in charge of the current world champions since 2005.
The 49-year-old executive is overseeing Red Bull’s current domination of the sport, having won both world championships at a canter last year and claiming a one-two finish at the 2023 season-opener on Sunday with Max Verstappen, the double world champion, triumphant in Bahrain.
But Ecclestone – who caused controversy last year after stating he would “take a bullet” for Russian president Vladimir Putin – insists Horner should aim for the sport’s top job next.
“If you had to pick anyone today, I’d say he [Horner] would be as good as there is,” 92-year-old Ecclestone said.
Red Bull’s Christian Horner backed to be F1 CEO over current boss Stefano Domenicali
F1 LIVE: Martin Brundle evaluates Mercedes’ tough start to the F1 season
15:15 , Kieran Jackson
Martin Brundle believes the situation at Mercedes is visibly tense after a disappointing start to the new Formula 1 season in Bahrain.
Having produced a car similar in design to 2022’s troubled challenger – with a unique “zero-pod” approach – Toto Wolff admitted that he is set to ditch this breed of car after seeing the roughly second-a-lap deficit to Red Bull in Sunday’s grand prix.
Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in Bahrain, overtaken late on by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, and the seven-time world champion later stated that the team “did not listen” to his concerns after he recommended changes following last year’s winless season.
“It seems to me that Mercedes went the wrong way in 2022 and refuse to turn around,” Brundle said in his Sky Sports column.
“Even Lewis and Toto were openly expressing their disappointment at certain points of the weekend, and normally they only sing the praises of the teams at Brackley and Brixworth. It must be tense at the team right now, the quality is there, it just needs direction and oxygen to calm heads.”
‘It must be tense right now’: Brundle evaluates Mercedes’ tough start to the season
F1 LIVE: Sky add ex-McLaren and Aston Martin strategy guru Bernie Collins to their F1 team
14:55 , Kieran Jackson
Sky Sports have added former McLaren and Aston Martin strategy chief Bernie Collins to their Formula 1 punditry line-up for the 2023 season.
Collins, who was a performance engineer at McLaren and head of race strategy at Aston Martin, will first feature on Sky in the paddock at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend.
Sky say she will feature at other races throughout the year, as well as at Sky Studios, and is the first addition to the Sky F1 team since Johnny Herbert and Paul di Resta left in the off-season.
“I am really excited to begin this new chapter with the Sky Sports F1 team and want to thank them for the opportunity,” Collins said in a Sky press release. “After many years on the pit wall I’m keen to embrace this new role within F1 from a viewer’s perspective and enhance their experience of racing.”
Collins’ role will “help explain and demystify all things team strategy and engineering for Sky Sports F1 viewers old and new.”
Sky add ex-McLaren and Aston Martin strategy guru Bernie Collins to their F1 team
F1 LIVE: FP3 DONE!
14:33 , Kieran Jackson
Wow! So impressive from Red Bull once again!
Max Verstappen quickest in every single practice session this weekend – and he’s six-tenths up on team-mate Sergio Perez in second with a 1:28:485.
Aston Martin are their closest competitors though, with Fernando Alonso third and Lance Stroll in fourth.
5-10: Hamilton, Leclerc, Norris, Piastri, Gasly, Sainz
Hamilton – in fifth – a second down on Verstappen!
F1 LIVE: 10:00 left in FP3!
14:21 , Kieran Jackson
It’s the Max Verstappen show once again – he’s nearly five-tenths quicker than team-mate Sergio Perez in second!
Lance Stroll is third for Aston Martin while Lewis Hamilton is fourth; nine-tenths behind the leading Red Bull.
Verstappen forced to apologise to Lando Norris, by the way, for blocking the McLaren on a hot lap. Not the first issue with traffic this weekend… could be problematic come Q1!
As for the Ferraris? Both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz yet to set a time on softs for some reason or another…
F1 LIVE: 30:00 left in FP3!
14:02 , Kieran Jackson
Normal order resumed. Sergio Perez goes fastest on softs with a 1:29:417, while Max Verstappen is a tenth down… but on a HARD tyre! Absolutely rapid from the Dutchman!
It’s an Alpine three-four, with Pierre Gasly in third and Esteban Ocon fourth.
5-10: Russell, Albon, Hamilton, Norris, Leclerc, Sainz
Qualifying simulation laps coming right up though!
F1 LIVE: 45:00 left in FP3!
13:48 , Kieran Jackson
It’s a Mercedes one-two early on, with George Russell quickest on softs with 1:30:476, with Lewis Hamilon 0.016 seconds down.
Third is the Alpine of Pierre Gasly, while Max Verstappen is fourth but on HARD tyres – only 0.248 seconds down on Russell!
6-10: Ocon, Magnussen, Bottas, Zhou, Hulkenberg
F1 LIVE: FP3 coming up!
13:28 , Kieran Jackson
We’ve got third practice coming up live from the Jeddah Corniche Circuit!
Can anyone topple Max Verstappen and claim top spot under the beating sun in Saudi?
F1 LIVE: Toto Wolff speaks to the press…
13:22 , Kieran Jackson
Toto Wolff is honest about how Mercedes approached last year’s change in regulations… and persevering with the same philosophy this year.
F1 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton ranks Mercedes’ prospects of win in Saudi Arabia
13:15 , Kieran Jackson
Lewis Hamilton believes three teams – Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin – will have to retire in order for Mercedes to win at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend.
Mercedes, so dominant in Formula 1 from 2014-2021 with eight Constructors’ Championships, had a season to forget in 2022 as new regulations caught them out and they finished third in the standings.
The Silver Arrows endured a disastrous start in the opening race of 2023 in Bahrain, with Toto Wolff insisting they will have to ditch their unique “zero-pod” philosophy in order to be competitive again. Hamilton finished fifth, while team-mate George Russell came home a lowly seventh.
And Hamilton – who last won an F1 race at the Jeddah track in December 2021, 24 grand prix ago – admitted it was a “shock” when he first drove the W14 car last month, acknowledging that three teams are currently ahead of them.
“Once I drove the car for the first time, you start to do that [re-assess goals] with the challenges you’re facing,” the 38-year-old said.
“It’s a similar situation to last year – it’s a shock when the car isn’t where you want it to be but you have 100% faith in the people you work with. We’re not where we want to be and we need to keep working on it.
“We need the Red Bulls and Ferraris not to finish the race, maybe the Astons too, to be winning [ourselves]. It doesn’t mean we can’t catch them up…”
Lewis Hamilton says Mercedes can only win in Saudi Arabia if top six cars retire
F1 LIVE: What is the race schedule this weekend?
13:09 , Kieran Jackson
(All times GMT)
Saturday 18 March
-
Free Practice 3: 1:30pm
-
Qualifying: 5pm
Sunday 19 March
How can I watch it online and on TV?
The entire race schedule will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 in the UK, with the race on Sunday live on Sky Sports Main Event too. It will be broadcasted on ESPN in the United States.
Highlights will be aired on Channel 4; for qualifying at at 8:50pm (GMT) on Saturday and for the race at 10:15pm on Sunday.
If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.
F1 LIVE: Martin Brundle evaluates Mercedes’ tough start to the F1 season
12:57 , Kieran Jackson
Martin Brundle believes the situation at Mercedes is visibly tense after a disappointing start to the new Formula 1 season in Bahrain.
Having produced a car similar in design to 2022’s troubled challenger – with a unique “zero-pod” approach – Toto Wolff admitted that he is set to ditch this breed of car after seeing the roughly second-a-lap deficit to Red Bull in Sunday’s grand prix.
Lewis Hamilton finished fifth in Bahrain, overtaken late on by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, and the seven-time world champion later stated that the team “did not listen” to his concerns after he recommended changes following last year’s winless season.
“It seems to me that Mercedes went the wrong way in 2022 and refuse to turn around,” Brundle said in his Sky Sports column.
“Even Lewis and Toto were openly expressing their disappointment at certain points of the weekend, and normally they only sing the praises of the teams at Brackley and Brixworth. It must be tense at the team right now, the quality is there, it just needs direction and oxygen to calm heads.”
‘It must be tense right now’: Brundle evaluates Mercedes’ tough start to the season
F1 LIVE: Verstappen vs Alonso
12:42 , Kieran Jackson
Here’s a fascinating side-by-side of the two fastest laps in FP2 last night!
Who’s your money on this afternoon?
F1 LIVE: Sky add ex-McLaren and Aston Martin strategy guru Bernie Collins to their F1 team
12:31 , Kieran Jackson
Sky Sports have added former McLaren and Aston Martin strategy chief Bernie Collins to their Formula 1 punditry line-up for the 2023 season.
Collins, who was a performance engineer at McLaren and head of race strategy at Aston Martin, will first feature on Sky in the paddock at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend.
Sky say she will feature at other races throughout the year, as well as at Sky Studios, and is the first addition to the Sky F1 team since Johnny Herbert and Paul di Resta left in the off-season.
“I am really excited to begin this new chapter with the Sky Sports F1 team and want to thank them for the opportunity,” Collins said in a Sky press release. “After many years on the pit wall I’m keen to embrace this new role within F1 from a viewer’s perspective and enhance their experience of racing.”
Collins’ role will “help explain and demystify all things team strategy and engineering for Sky Sports F1 viewers old and new.”
Sky add ex-McLaren and Aston Martin strategy guru Bernie Collins to their F1 team
F1 LIVE: Verstappen arrives in paddock!
12:22 , Kieran Jackson
Double world champion has arrived in Jeddah!
F1 LIVE: Ted Talk! F1 cult hero Kravitz on pit lane secrets and… cheese
12:15 , Kieran Jackson
Exclusive interview by Kieran Jackson
Ted is talking about cheese. For a Formula 1 pit lane reporter functioning in a world of tyre compounds and floor specifications, Ted often finds himself talking about cheese. Usually at pre-season testing. A bizarre synonymity, some might say, and readers not drooling in the daily churn of digital F1 content may be a little lost already. Don’t worry, you’re forgiven.
Sky Sports’ ever-present pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz – of BBC and ITV before that – has a style of presenting so inimitable that the man himself has formed a devoted following of his own, hate it as he might. Ahead of his 22nd year of pit lane reporting and 27th working in the sport he loves, Ted’s methodology of fan interaction is constantly evolving. This year, forget TikTok: it’s all about TedTok. So, back to the cheese.
“TedTok was just too good for somebody to steal,” the 48-year-old tells The Independent, in the unusually formal setting for him of an office at Sky Studios. “So I’m just going to put nonsense about doing stuff with cheese on there.
“I put up a video of me and Anthony [Davidson] choosing the perfect cheese in Bahrain to carve away the venturi tunnels of the car to the floor edge… it’s harder than you think.
“You could have got a block of cheddar, but then it would’ve just crumbled away and the whole shoot would’ve been a disaster. This was 20 minutes and Anthony was quite right in choosing the right type of cheese… gouda!”
Ted Talk! F1 cult hero Kravitz on pit lane secrets and… cheese
F1 LIVE: Can Mercedes even build a ‘Plan B’ car in time to salvage season?
12:04 , Kieran Jackson
Comment by Kieran Jackson
Never mind waiting for the first race of the Formula 1 season. A weekend of testing, three practice sessions and qualifying in Bahrain has told Toto Wolff everything he needed to know.
No sandbagging. No magic fix. No hiding. Mere hours into the 2023 campaign the Mercedes boss – once the unflappable executive titan of the sport – cut a despondent figure speaking to the press in the late hours on Saturday. Acknowledging that his team’s persistence, bordering on stubbornness, had been a mistake, he revealed a change of tack is already in the pipeline.
Speaking after George Russell and Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth and seventh respectively, the Austrian stated: “I don’t think that this package is going to be competitive eventually.
“We gave it our best go over the winter and now we all just need to regroup, sit down with the engineers, be totally non-dogmatic and ask what is the development direction we want to pursue in order to be able to win races.”
As sporting U-turns go, this is pretty seismic. Race weekend No 1 of 23: rip it up and start over.
Can Mercedes even build a ‘Plan B’ car in time to salvage season?
F1 LIVE: Formula 1 accused of ‘enabling violence and bloodshed’ by racing in Saudi Arabia
11:59 , Kieran Jackson
Formula 1 is once again coming under increased scrutiny for staging races in countries with poor human rights records after the brother of a man executed in Saudi Arabia last year insisted the sport’s silence “enables violence and bloodshed.”
A fortnight after staging the opening race of the 2023 season in Bahrain, F1 returns to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – a country where there have been 13 executions in the last two weeks.
Last year, 81 men were executed in one day shortly before the grand prix, with 41 from the Shia minority who had taken part in protests calling for greater political participation, according to the United Nations.
One of those men was Mustafa al-Kjayyat and his brother, Yasser al-Khayyat, insists that F1 is being used as a “tool to sportswash Saudi abuses”, in a letter seen by The Guardian addressed to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
“They use the spectacle of this sporting championship to distract from the murder of my brother and hundreds of others,” he wrote. “The grand prix carrying on as normal, without even mentioning the atrocities that have just been committed on that same soil, legitimises these heinous crimes.
“Silence is complicity. It is how the regime gets away with its atrocities and suppresses calls for democratic reforms. If you truly want Formula One to be an agent for change, rather than a tool to ‘sportswash’ Saudi abuses, please end Formula One’s silence.”
Formula 1 accused of ‘enabling violence and bloodshed’ by racing in Saudi Arabia
F1 LIVE: Lewis Hamilton announces shock split with performance coach
11:57 , Kieran Jackson
ICYMI yesterday, some shock news from the seven-time world champion…
Lewis Hamilton has announced that his time working with performance coach Angela Cullen has come to an end.
The seven-time world champion has worked with physiotherapist Cullen for the last seven years, with the New Zealander by the Mercedes star’s side around the world as an integral part of his support team.
Cullen, 48, joined Hamilton’s team in 2016 and has been by his side for four of his seven world championships.
Yet suspicions were raised on Friday morning as Hamilton did not arrive in the paddock in Saudi Arabia with Cullen by his side, before the 38-year-old himself confirmed the news on Instagram.
In an emotional post, he said: “For the last seven years Angela Cullen has been by my side, pushing me to be the best version of myself. I am a stronger athlete and a better person because of her.
“So today I hope you’ll join me in wishing her the very best as she takes her next steps to pursue her dreams. Thank you for everything Ang, I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for you.”
Lewis Hamilton announces shock change to team in emotional farewell
F1 LIVE: Good morning!
11:54 , Kieran Jackson
Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of third practice and qualifying at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah!
Max Verstappen continued his dominance on Friday, topping the timesheets in both sessions, while his closest challenger remained Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.
It was another day of struggle, however, for Mercedes and Ferrari. Can they improve on Saturday?
FP3 starts at 1:30pm (GMT) before qualifying at 5pm – stay right here for all the latest updates and news!
